Automatic garage door



ZAZQJZE Jrufiy 2%, 1%? J. 5. STOVER AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR Filed April 25, 1944 INVENTOR.

. JASPER 6T .srorze A r702 NE) Fatente d July 2 9, 19 37 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR Jasper S. Stover, De Queen, Ark.

Application April 25, 1944, Serial No. 532,681

1 Claim.

This invention relates to garage doors, and aims to provide a novel mechanism and arrangement thereof whereby the doors will be swung open when an automobile approaches them either from outside or from Within the garage, thereby eliminating the need to get out of the car for that purpose.

The above and other objects will become apparent inthe description below, wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the drawings are intended to serve the purpose of illustration only, and it is neither intended nor desired to limit the invention necessarily to the exact details shown excepting insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the mechanism mounted in place, showing the walls of the garage including the doors in section.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. 7

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral ill indicates the opposed side walls of the garage,

II the rear wall, and I2 the door frame having the swing doors I3 positioned therein. The floor of the garage is shown at I5, and its continuation outside the garage at I4. On either side of the garage floor, and at a distance below the surface thereof, are parallel horizontal channels I6 which also extend outward beyond the garage doors for some distance, only one such channel being shown in Fig. 2. At spaced intervals along the channel I6, chambers I'I, I8, I9, and 20 are provided, partly open at the top and communicating at the bottom with the said channel, the first two being positioned outside the garage and the second two inside the garage.

An elongated rod is loosely mounted in the channel I6 and extends from the chamber I! to the chamber 20, passing through the chambers I8 and I9, being shown at 2|. Transverse channels 22, 23, 24, and 25 join the opposed channels I6 at the chambers I'I, I8, I9, and 20, respectively. Spaced pivot rods 28 and 29 extend through channel 23; similarly, spaced rods 26 and 21 extend through channel 22; spaced rods 30 and 3| extend through channel 24, and spaced rods 32 and 33 extend through channel 25.

The chambers "-20, are, as stated, partly open at the top; the area of the top which is open is equal in dimensions to that of each of a pair of spaced treadles 34 which are pivotally mounted on the rod 28. Around the open top of each chamber, a ledge 39 is provided to seat the 2 treadle flush with the floor. Similar treadles 35 are similarly mounted on the rod 3I; similar treadles 36 are similarly mounted on the rod 32; and finally, similar treadles 31 are similarly mounted on the rod 21. Each treadle has a link 38 depending therefrom. Rigidly mounted on the transverse rods 26, 29, 30, and 33 ar bell cranks 4!), 4 I, 42, and 43, respectively, having their upper arms pivoted to the links 38 and their lower arms pivoted to the rod 2|. It is to be noted that the cranks 4i and 42 face toward the rear while the cranks 45 and 43 face toward the front.

The doors 53 are pivoted on vertical pivot rods 44 which pass down into the channels I6, having their lower ends secured rigidly to links 45 pivoted to the rods 2i. The doors I3 are presumed to be made of light weight material, and it is apparent that movement of the rods 2| to the left will swing the doors open, and vice versa.

After a car 46 has left the garage, the doors will be closed and the various treadles will be positioned as shown in Fig. 2; that is, the treadles 34 and 35 will be inclined upwardly and the treadle-s 31 and 36 will lie flushly seated. As the car approaches the garage doors, the wheels will pass over the flush treadles 3'! without eifect, but as they ride upon the treadles 34 the latter will be depressed about their pivots, consequently swinging the bell cranks 4| and the shaft 29 clockwise and thus pulling the rods 2| forward; this operation obviously opens the doors I3, and also raises treadle 36 and lowers treadle 35 and raises treadle 31. The wheels then pass over lowered treadles 35 and when they reach raised treadles 36 depress the latter, thus moving rods 2| rearward and closing the doors I3, raising treadles 35 and 34 and lowering treadle 31. When the car is about to leave the garage, the wheels passing over treadles 35 lower the latter, open the doors, raise treadles 36, lower treadles 34, and raise treadles 31. As the car reaches the treadles 31 it lowers them, closes the doors, naises treadles 34 and 35, and lowers treadles 36. This cycle is repeated when the car again returns to the garage. The distance between successive pairs of treadles must of course exceed the wheelbase of the car,

and it is to be assumed that proper lubrication of all friction surfaces is provided.

The same objects could be attained by the use of other than the exact means illustrated, and obviously modifications in form and structure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be noted that the two arms of each of the bell cranks 40, II, 42, and 43 are spaced from each other in an axial direction along their respective rods 26, 2B, 30, and 33, but their arms might just as well be positioned close against each other in the common fashion.

I claim:

In a garage structure including a floor and a door positioned above the floor, said floor having a plurality of spaced openings therethrough, said door having a pivot rod secured thereto and extending downward therefrom through the floor, an elongated rod movably mounted under the floor, a link pivoted on said rod, said pivot rod being rigidly secured to said link, a pair of spaced treadles pivotally mounted at one end on said floor in two of said openings and adapted when depressed to lie flush with the floor and extending in opposite directions, links pivoted at one end to the undersides of said treadles, bell cranks pivotally mounted below the floor having their upper arms pivoted respectively to the free ends of said links and having longitudinal slots in their lower arms, said rod having spaced pins extending horizontally therefrom and registering in said slots, said treadles being positioned on one side of said door, said rod extending to the other side of said door, a second pair of spaced treadles 4 'pivotally mounted at one end on said floor in another two of said openings and adapted when depressed to lie fiu-sh with said floor and extending in opposite directions, a, second pair of bell cranks pivotally mounted below the fioor having their upper arms pivoted respectively to said lastnamed treadles and having elongated longitudinal slots in their lower arms, said rod having additional pins registering in said slots of said second pair of bell cranks, said floor having ledges projecting into said openings to provide limit stops to said treadles in their depressed position.

JASPER S. STOVER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 803,597 Hood Nov. '7, 1905 690,043 Algier Dec. 31, 1901 1,280,916 ,Weikert Oct. 8, 1918 1,838,225 Jarvela Dec. 29, 1931 1,481,136 Kostil Jan. 15, 1924 1,858,942 Strochalen May 1'7, 1932 

